Photograph taken by an unknown photographer in Karachi, c.1900, with a general view along the iron Napier Mole bridge connecting Karachi with Kiamari, the landing place for all goods and passengers bound for the city, from an album of 46 prints titled 'Karachi Views'. Karachi, now the capital of the Sindh province in the lower Indus valley, was once the capital of Pakistan and continues to be the country's commercial hub and largest city. Its history prior to the 19th century is largely unrecorded but it is believed to be the ancient port of Krokala on the Arabian Sea, visited by Alexander's admirals in 326 BC. Karachi is built around a bay which is a natural harbour and protected from storms by a group of small islands. The small fishing village of Karachi became a trading post when the Talpur Mirs of Sindh built a mud fort here in the 18th century, but the port remained small. It was completely transformed when its harbour was developed by the British after they conquered Sindh in the mid-19th century. A city rapidly grew and the British began several projects in 1854 so that the port took shape. The main navigable channel was dredged and the construction of a mole or causeway joining the main harbour with the rest of the city was undertaken. The Napier Mole Bridge was constructed about five years later, together with the Manora Breakwater, Kiamari Groyne, Native Jetty and Chinna Creek.